How many grams of carbohydrates are administered over 24 hours to a patient receiving D10 (10% dextrose solution) at 125 milliliters per hour?

D10 at 125 mL/hr Delivers 300 Grams of Carbohydrates in 24 Hours

A patient receiving D10 (10% dextrose solution) at 125 mL/hr will receive 300 grams of carbohydrates over 24 hours.

Calculation Method

• D10 contains 10 grams of dextrose per 100 mL of solution 1
• At an infusion rate of 125 mL/hr, the patient receives 12.5 grams of dextrose per hour 1
• Over 24 hours: 125 mL/hr × 24 hours = 3,000 mL total volume
• Total carbohydrate delivery: 3,000 mL × (10 g/100 mL) = 300 grams of dextrose 1

Clinical Context

• This infusion rate (125 mL/hr) exceeds the standard D10 dosing of 50 mL/hr (5 grams/hour or 120 grams per 24 hours) typically recommended for preventing hypoglycemia in diabetic patients when enteral nutrition is interrupted 2
• The 300 grams delivered at this rate provides approximately 1,200 kcal of energy (dextrose provides ~4 kcal/gram), which represents partial nutritional support but is insufficient as sole nutrition 1

Insulin Coverage Considerations

• For patients receiving continuous nutrition with this dextrose load, approximately 1 unit of insulin for every 10-15 grams of carbohydrate should be administered, meaning this patient would require roughly 20-30 units of insulin per 24 hours for nutritional coverage 3
• Blood glucose should be monitored every 1-2 hours during dextrose infusions at rates exceeding standard maintenance dosing 2

Safety Monitoring

• The maximum rate at which dextrose can be infused without producing glycosuria is 0.5 g/kg of body weight per hour, so for a 70 kg patient, this would be 35 g/hr maximum 4
• At 12.5 g/hr, this infusion rate remains well below the threshold for glycosuria in most patients 4